Colorado Man Sentenced to 19 years’ for Possessing Meth and Firearms

A man who possessed with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possessed multiple firearms in furtherance of that crime was sentenced on June 26, 2024, in federal court in Sioux City.  Esequiel Gomez, 35, from Denver, Colorado, had pled guilty on October 13, 2022.

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that on April 27, 2022, law enforcement responded to an early morning alarm at the Sioux City Ford Lincoln car dealership.  Defendant had broken into the dealership and stolen an F-350 pickup while a codefendant waited in a U-Haul van.  Law enforcement ultimately located the pair traveling north on Highway 75 when a high-speed pursuit began.  During the pursuit, defendant travelled in excess of 100 miles per hour and the pair were observed discarding items.  The pursuit ultimately ended when the pair hit a parked car in Le Mars, Iowa, and sustained varying degrees of injury.  Both were transported to Iowa hospitals for treatment.  In the vehicles, and along the road, law enforcement discovered over 150 pounds of stolen marijuana from a Colorado dispensary, approximately one pound of methamphetamine, three firearms, and a substantial amount of other stolen items.  Gomez has a significant number of warrants for pending charges in Colorado for auto thefts.     

Sentencing was held before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Gomez was sentenced to 19 years’ imprisonment and must serve five years of supervised release following imprisonment.  Gomez remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported.  There is no parole in the federal system.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.   

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 22-4045.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.